BELGIUM: Eyes Right

Beaver-busy Belgians, their economic house
in order, took time out this week to vote. In their first national
Chamber of Deputies election in seven years, they swung toward the
right.

With results nearly complete, the Christian Social Party, a revamped and
somewhat liberalized version of the old conservative Catholic Party,
led the field with 90 of the 202 Chamber seats, a gain of 17 over its
prewar strength. Runner-up was Premier Achille van Acker's Socialist
Party with 69 (prewar: 64). The Communists took 24 seats (prewar: 9),
the middle-road Liberals toppled to 17 (prewar: 33). Neither the
Catholics nor the...